The defence ministry’s spokesperson has denied that the letter calling on NGOs to refrain from certain activities was an attempt to restrict their work. Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya said at media briefing in Colombo on Tuesday that the letter was only a reminder to act according to a mandate previously issued by NGO Secretariat and false information was being disseminated to misguide the public. The letter, signed by the director of the NGO Secretariat, which falls under the defence ministry, said that NGOs should not overstep their mandate by engaging in activities such as holding press...
Australian authorities Tuesday confirmed that a remaining 153 asylum seekers from a boat intercepted at sea, were now on an Australian vessel, reports the Australian Broadcast Channe l. A High Court hearing on Tuesday heard the first official confirmation that the group of predominantly Tamil asylum seekers had been intercepted by Australian patrol boats, when the government pledged to provide at least 3 days notice should a decision to hand deport the group be made. The court is set to decide on the fate of the asylum seekers on Friday, reports the BBC. Australia confirms handing over first boat to Sri Lankan authorities, second boat remains unaccounted for (07 July 2014)
Amnesty International, in a press brief on Tuesday, expressed deep concern over the Australian government’s secrecy over the handling of asylum seekers found at sea and their high risk of torture upon transfer Sri Lankan authority custody. Noting the Australian government’s pledge to provide notice in the event it decided to hand over asylum seekers to Sri Lankan authorities as a “small step in the right direction,” Amnesty International Australia’s Refugee Spokesperson Fraeme McGregor warned, “Amnesty International continues to have deep concerns about the shroud of secrecy imposed by the Government all under the guise of border security.”
Up to a dozen asylum-seeking women held on Christmas Island have attempted suicide, reports the Sydney Morning Herald . The women, all mothers, after being told they would be sent to Nauru and Manus Island believed that their children would have a better chance of making it to Australia without them. President of the Christmas Island Shire Council, Gordon Thompson, said: "Their thinking is that if the babies have been born in Australia, they cannot be sent anywhere else, including Manus Island or Nauru,"
The Australian government, Monday, confirmed that 41 asylum seekers had been handed over to Sri Lankan authorities, reports abc news . A statement made by the Immigration Minister, Scott Morrison, confirmed that one of the two boats had been intercepted west of the Cocos islands carried 37 Sinhalese and four Tamils on board. Morrison said that the passengers were scanned by teleconference and handed back to the Sri Lanka navy, adding that the people on boats were ‘safe and accounted for.’
Human remains have been uncovered in Muhamaalai, in the Northeast of the island, for a third consecutive day on Friday, reported the Uthayan . Palai police announced that it was arranging for excavations to be conducted in the region, where they have now found three skeletons and more human remains, thought to be those of LTTE fighters. Work to clear the area of vegetation has already begun, with a land mine removal team also deployed.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has met with senior leaders of the Buddhist clergy on Friday, reported Colombo Page . Rajapaksa is said to have discussed inter-religious reconciliation with representatives of the Bodu Bala Sena, Sinhala Ravaya, and monks of the Siyam, Ramanna and Amarapura Nikayas.
Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence has sent letters to non-governmental organisation, demanding that they refrain from activities beyond their mandate, including press conferences, workshops, training for journalists, and the publication of press releases. The letter, signed by director of the Secretariat for Non-Governmental Organisations DMS Dissanayake, said NGOs should “prevent from such unauthorized activities with immediate effect”. See letter here , courtesy of Groundviews.
Sri Lanka’s Housing Minister Wimal Weerawansa has accused the US Embassy in Colombo of having recruited 5,000 youth on the island to carry out social media campaigns against the government. According to the Colombo Gazette , Weerawansa claimed that the youth, recruited with the help of the UNP, were being paid for their campaigns.
The Australian High Court has granted an interim injunction, blocking the government’s attempt to return 153 asylum seekers to the “Sri Lankan government, its military or its agents”, reported The Australian . Justice Susan Crennan granted the injunction until 4pm local time on Tuesday, and noted that “the position of Tamil minority appears problematic” and that they had “made out a prima facie case for urgent relief”. However she also noted that “it was not entirely clear what the next step for the plaintiffs” was and the application “appears somewhat speculative”.